Basin wrench having rotatably adjustable inner jaw and multiaxispivoted outer jaw



2,491,623 JAW C- 1949 s. G. SESAK BASIN WRENCH 'HAVING ROTATABLYADJUSTABLE INNER AND MULTIAXIS-PIVOTED OUTER-JAW F'lled Sept 19 1947 INVEN TOR.

6. smwr STEVE/V ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 20, 1949 BASIN WRENCH HAVINGROTATABLY AD- JUSTABLE INNER JAW AND MULTIAXIS- PIVOTED OUTER J AWSteven G. Sesak, Redwood City, Calif. Application September 19, 1947,Serial No. 774,936

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a wrench, and particularly of the type,commonly called basin wrench.

An object of this invention is to provide a wrench suitable for use inconfined spaces otherwise inaccessible to ordinary wrenches, forexample, beneath basins for application and removal of nuts, nipples andthe like in mounting and removing water cocks, faucets and the like. Thefeatures of the wrench herein described and claimed include a pair ofopposite and serrated jaws, one fixed to the top of a handle and theother pivoted about a fulcrum off center with respect to the fixed jawand around two axes at right angles to one another for adjustment toeither side of saidfixed jaw for right handed or left handed operation,and also to swing away from or toward the fixed jaw in operation; also afeature of the invention is the use of the resilient member, in thisillustration a leaf spring, to urge the movable jaw against the nut inratchet-like action; another feature of the invention is the mounting ofthe movable jaw with respect to the fixed jaw and the relation of thejaws to the top of the handle or stem so as to allow quick adjustment ofthe jaws to desired angles and relative positions.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements andcombinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the detailsof the construction thereof without departing from the scope of thepresent invention as set forth in the following specification, and asdefined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention tothe exact arrangements and. combinations of the said device and parts asdescribed in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to theexact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wrench constructed in accordance withmy invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the jaw arrangement and mounting of mywrench for operation in opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the top of the wrench and the jaws and themountings relatively to a nut; the alternative adjusted position beingshown in broken lines.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the top of my wrench and the jaw mountingelements.

The preferred form of my invention includes a handle I in the form of acomparatively long bar, in one end of which is a transverse hole 2 toslidably accommodate a cross bar 3 for facilitating the gripping andturning of the handle I and the wrench around the axis of said handle I.

The other end or top of the handle I has a forked head 4 the parallelears 6 of which are provided with transverse aligned holes 1 throughwhich a pivot screw 8 is extended.

A fixed jaw 9 bears against the outside of one of the ears 6 and has athreaded hole II therein into which is screwed the end of the screw 8for holding the fixed jaw in an adjusted position tightly against theadjacent ear 6. In this illustration the screw 8 has a flat countersunkhead I2 concealed in the countersunk recess l3 of the hole I. In thepreferred application of the wrench the fixed jaw 9 is adjusted andsecured in a position wherein the gripping face l4 thereof is generallyparallel with the axis of the handle I. The gripping face M of the fixedjaw 9 has thereon a plurality of serrations or teeth i5 arranged on asubstantially semi-cylindrical periphery which is eccentric with respectto the axis of the handle i.

On the portion of the pivot screw 8 exposed between the ears 6 ispivoted a yoke 16. The stem ll of the yoke It is rotatable between theears 6 around an axis transverse with respect the axis of the handle Iso that the yoke I6 may be swung 180 from the extreme position on oneside of the handle shown in Fig. 1 to the extreme position on the otherside of the handle shown in Fig. 2, or to any intermediate position. Thelugs I8 of the forked end of the yoke 16 are in planes substantiallyparallel with the axis of the pivot screw 8. Aligned holes on the yokelugs (8 accommodate a second pivot screw is at right angles to the firstpivot screw 8 and spaced therefrom. This second pivot screw I9, isthreaded into one of the lugs it. An end of a movable jaw 21 is pivotedon the portion of the second pivot screw l9 between the lugs l8 of theyoke [5 so that the jaw 2| may be swung toward and away from the fixedjaw H. The movable jaw 2| is substantially straight near its fulcrum andthen continues arcuately curving toward its tip 22 and toward the fixedjaw 9, and has on its inner face a plurality of teeth 23 substantiallyparallel with the teeth l5 of the fixed jaw t.

On the outer face 24 of the movable jaw 2! are mounted a plurality ofsuperimposed leaf springs 26, by means of suitable screws 21, so thatthe free end of the lower leaf of said springs extends over and engagesthe ends of the yoke lugs 13 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3.

In operation the wrench is first adjusted to the position shown in Fig.1 wherein the movable jaw 2! and yoke I6 are swung over to one side ofthe fixed jaw 9. In this position the plumber or user can reach underthe basin and move the wrench upwardly to a nut 28 as shown in Fig. 3.The tip 22 of the movable jaw 2| is engaged with the nut from one sideand then turned in a clockwise direction, viewing Figs. 1 and '3, sothat it is pried away against the action of the leaf spring 26 toadvance in a ratchet like action to encircle the nut 28 to a desireddegree. Then the handle 1 and the entire wrench is turned in acontra-clockwise direction, viewing Figs. 1 and 3, whereupon the fixedjaw 9 fulcrums around the pivot 19 so as to grip the nut between the twojaws, the leaf spring 25 urging the jaw 2i into gripping position, andthe pulling force exerted on the-eccentric pivot 19 tending to close themovable jaw 21 upon the nut. Thus the nut is turned. .In case of aright-hand nut this operation would tighten the nut 28 upon its screw.After thenut is turned to a position where it is inconvenient to furtherturn the handle of the wrench, by turning the handle I again in a clock-.wise direction the action of the movable jaw is loosened and itadvances on the nut 28 again in ratchet like action so as to allow thesetting of the wrench head back to a more accessible position for thenext turn of the nut by a clockwise turning of the Wrench in the mannerheretofore described. In this manner in any confined inaccessible spacea nut can be engaged and tightened without removing the wrench from thesame and the other hand of the operator is free to hold the faucet orthe like element above the basin while the nut is turned. In basinwrenches furnished in the past it was necessary for the operator torelease the faucet after each turn of the nut and use both hands forresetting the head of the wrench for the next turn. By theaforedescribed structure and operation in my wrench the nut can betightened by one hand and reset for further turns of the nut by thewrench by the same hand without necessitating the interruption ofoperation or the releasing of the hold on the faucet at any time. 7

For a left-handed turn the yoke 16 is swung .over to the other extremeposition shown in Fig. 3 and the operation is repeated in the oppositedirection with the same facility as heretofore described. If action isrequired at some intermediate angle between the two extreme positionsillustrated, then the screw pivot 8 can be loosened and the fixed jaw 9can be adjusted to another desired angle and tightened in that positionby said pivot screw 8 and then the movable jaw and its yoke I 6 can beswung opposite to the same and upon the nut to be turned and thus permitthe application of this wrench to any nut or the like at variousselected angles, the operation al ways being performed withoutinterruption and the wrench can be reset for the subsequent turns of thenut or the like in the manner heretofore described without the necessityof releasing the wrench from the nut and without utilizing both handsfor the wrench operation.

The wrench constructed in accordance with my invention is simple instructure, it has few parts, it allows a ratchet like action for theresetting of the wrench after each turn of the nut without the use ofboth hands, it allows a simple one-handed operation for the tighteningof the nut in any confined position at selected angles, and it greatlyfacilitates and reduces the time in the application of nuts or the likein confined spaces.

I claim:

1. In a wrench of the character described, a handle, a journal head atone end of the handle, a pivot extended through said journal end, anormally fixed jaw rotatably mounted on said pivot so as to beadjustable to selected angular positions around a pivot axis formed bysaid journal, a generally semi-cylindrical serrated face on said fixedjaw opposite said pivot, a fulcrum element journalled on said pivotindependently of said fixed jaw and swingable to opposite sides of saidhandle, a movable jaw fulcrumed in said fulcrum element on an axissubstantially at right angles to the axis of said pivot, said movablejaw extending substantially straight from its fulcrum and having anarcuate end with its tip curving toward and opposite said serrated faceof .said fixed jaw, the side of said movable jaw opposite said fixed jawbeing serrated, and a spring element coasting with said movable jaw andsaid fulcrum element to urge said movable jaw to a position oppositesaid fixed jaw.

2. In a wrench of the character described, a handle, a bifurcated headon an end of the handle, a pivot screw extended through said bifurcatedend substantially at right angles to the axis of said handle, a fixedjaw threadedly secured upon the end of said pivot screw and tightly ldrawn thereby against said head to be held in an adjusted position, theface of said jaw farthest from said pivot being substantiallysemi-cylindrical and being serrated, a yoke pivoted on said pivot screwin said head, journal lugs on said yoke having a journal therethrough atsubstantially right angles to said pivot screw, a movable jaw fulcrumedon said journal in said yoke, said movable jaw having a substantiallystraight portion extended fromits fulcrum and terminating in a curvedportion opposite to and spaced from said serrated face of said fixed jawand having its tip turned toward said fixed jaw, and the side of saidmovable jaw opposite said fixed jaw being serrated, and a leaf spring onthe other side of said movable jaw and bearing against said yoke forurging said movable jaw to a gripping position opposite said fixed jaw.

' STEVEN G. SESAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Scott Oct. 22, 1935

